I mentioned
in my last selection that we very seldom went on a GSN ship but my favourite was the magnificent
Crested Eagle. Compared with the Queen Line ships she was much more spacious
as well as having a great turn of speed. At this time we
lived at Westcliff a mile or so along the front from Southend in a flat looking
out across the Estuary and I used to watch her racing along, particularly on the
return from Clacton trying to catch up time en route back to London. She was
the only steamer in the Estuary that you could hear the wonderful beat of her
paddle wheels a mile or so away.

In
E C B Thornton’s book
South Coast Pleasure Steamers he states ‘she had a race with Brighton Queen back to
Brighton after the 1937 Spithead Review." Much to his regret
she beat Brighton Queen to the pier, as he, Thornton, was a passenger on
the looser. To my mind
she would have beaten all those South Coast steamers famous for their speed. A
marvellous build by Whites of Cowes in 1923 and very sad that she was lost at
Dunkirk.

I always liked to
watch the various Masters and observe how they handled their ships coming
alongside Southend Pier. Capt. Sargent of the Crested Eagle was always number one
in my book. He also always looked so smart and kid gloves were worn whatever
the weather.

Queen of Thanet was originally built as an Ascot Class
Minesweeper in WW 1, (HMS Melton) and bought by Capt Shippick of the New
Medway Steam packet Company in 1927 together with her sister Queen of
Kent (ex HMS Athelstone). Both were sold to Red Funnel in 1948. I include this steamer because on it my
sister took me on my first paddle steamer trip across the Channel to
Calais in 1938. It was on an August Bank Holiday cheap day excursion via Margate
and the weather was perfect and the ship was packed to capacity. My sister did
not enjoy it at all as there were long queues for everything and very little
space for sitting on the open deck. I happily stood by the rail or wandered
around the ship and watched the engines. I just thought how wonderful it was to
paddle that distance.

Queen of Thanet
was also the first steamer back in the Thames after the 2nd World
War, so I was fortunate to paddle down the Thames in her from Tower Pier to
Southend on the first trip of the season in 1946. It was on this day that I
firstmet Don Rose (later of Queen of the South ex Jennie Deans”
fame) and it was from him that I heard it was possible to make a very long trip
on a P&A Campbell paddle steamer from Bristol to Brighton or visa versa at the
beginning and end of the season.

It was on the
Glen Gower in 1950 that I made my first round voyage from Bristol to
Brighton that Don Rose had told me about. We boarded at Bristol first thing in
the morning calling en route at Cardiff & Ilfracombe. After a wonderful run
along the Devon & Cornish coasts we rounded Lands End and the following morning
were making our way along the South Coast arriving at Brighton later that
afternoon – a 33 hour trip. I made another long trip in 1953 when the Glen Gower
sailed to Brighton to assist in the Spithead Review of that year. I also
remember her trips from Eastbourne to Boulogne and in 1956 I made the last
sailing in her across the Channel. She did not return to the South Coast after
that but remained in service in the Bristol Channel and was laid up in 1958.

Cardiff Queen
was one of the two
ships built after the War for P & A Campbell. For some reason I don’t think she was
as popular in the Bristol Channel as Bristol Queen nevertheless I found out
that she was a very good sea ship. I joined her at
Brighton in late September 1953 for what should have been the usual end of
season run back to Bristol. We left in quite
good weather but after passing the Needles a strong SW wind sprang up and off
Portland the weather began to turn very nasty. It soon became force 8 gale. The
ship was pitching heavily and we were taking a lot of water across the bow and
this continued until it was dark. When approaching Plymouth the Master told us
that he intended to berth there until the weather abated, but warned us that
when turning to go into Plymouth we should expect heavy rolling as the sea and
wind would be on our beam. This proved very true and several of us thought our
last hour had come. Eventually we made
Plymouth and stayed the night in the dock. Next day we set of again along the
coast but the weather was very bad and when near to Lands End in very heavy seas
the Captain turned the ship and headed for Falmouth for another overnight stay.

Next day the
weather had not improved and the Company decided we should make our own way home
from Falmouth. The Cardiff
Queen did not manage to get back to Bristol for another three days so it was a
sensible decision but a dramatic voyage I remember to this day very vividly.

Forty years on and
now that I am an oldie, I find it amazing that I have again been able to cross
the Channel in a paddle steamer, Waverley. My first was to
Calais and later on a cruise near to the beaches of Dunkirk where a small
ceremony was held and a wreath dropped into the sea in memory of all those ships
and men who perished in 1940. It was a very moving occasion. How lucky we are
in 2006 still to be able to enjoy so many places round the
coasts of Great Britain in Waverley.

I
would like to finish my selection with our smaller paddle steamer Kingswear
Castle, the main subject of this website. She was built for service on the
river Dart in Devon in 1924, has been beautifully restored and still has her
coal fired steam engine and is kept in pristine condition by her Master and
Crew. We in the South East are so lucky to be the only area in the UK
which has a paddle steamer sailing throughout each summer season and, when
Waverley visits us, we have two. When Medway Queen finished in 1963
we could never have expected that two paddle steamers plus the historic motor
ship Balmoral, would still be operating in the Thames and Medway area in
2006.